A Sculptor’s Labyrinthine Home, Still a Work in Progress

Looking to build the home of his dreams, Catalan artist Xavier Corberó began acquiring land outside his native Barcelona in 1968. Today, he has a home that is some 48,000 square feet spread over nine interconnected buildings with about a dozen courtyards—all nestled among more than 300 archways. And he is still building.

Story by Brooke Anderson

Photography by Salva López for The Wall Street Journal

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“I like things that look like they’ve always been there,” says Mr. Corberó, whose paintings and sculptures can be found in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. in private collections, public spaces and art galleries.

White walls in the rooms create a clean, spacious look.

Narrow, glass-enclosed courtyards extend from the ground floors to the highest levels.

Mr. Corberó's wish was to create a home that would be an expression of his own work and a haven for other artists. He has hosted a number of artists at the estate over the years. Salvador Dali, he says, was one of the earliest buyers of his work, and became a friend and frequent visitor.

Room dividers from the Far East provide shade and decoration for a sparse and sunny space.

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Mr. Corberó keeps his smaller works of art indoors.

The artist has spent much of his life abroad in Switzerland, the U.K. and New York City, where he moved in 1960. He divided his time between the U.S. and Spain until last year, when he moved permanently into the home. He started building in 1968 when he purchased a former potato farm. Over the years, Mr. Corberó has constructed buildings that vary from two to five stories. The most recent addition, still under construction, has three levels of rooms connected by archways.

A courtyard seen from a lower level provides light from above.

“I can’t stop,” says the 81-year-old artist as he walks through the columns and open spaces of his massive Mediterranean- and Roman-influenced estate.

Mr. Corberó often uses his spacious garage for entertaining.

The colossal complex has grown to include 25 bedrooms and bathrooms. Rooms are separated with glass or wooden doors, many of which slide open by remote control. An elevator moves from the lower basement to the top floors.
Despite its sprawling size, his complex fits seamlessly into the neighborhood of Esplugues de Llobregat with its old courtyard church, and stone and wood houses.

Mr. Corberó recalls pleasant memories of late nights in the courtyards, playing music and discussing ideas with his guests.
One of the newer courtyards, filled with pine and palm trees, displays dozens of his signature basalt statues—abstractly sculpted stones representing the human form. He sculpts large pieces at a nearby quarry. Smaller works are done at the home. “Every time I make something new, I hope it will be the best,” he says.

Mr. Corberó stands with his larger-than-life sculptures.

As for his continuous housing expansion, he says, “I don’t understand how I made this whole thing. It ’s kind of a miracle.”